Five Good Reasons to Leash Your Pooch on Sanibel

Yes, it's true.

We love animals on Sanibel.

Whether they fly, or swim, whether they walk on all fours, whether they are domestic pets or residents of the nature preserve, we love them.

Tail waggers, aka dogs and pooches,  are especially loved on our little barrier island.

We welcome them in many pet friendly rentals.

We welcome them on our beaches. 

And we also protect them requiring that rental guests keep these special travelers close, do not allow them to play where the alligators lay, and asking that they be on flea and tick prevention.

We also have regulations that protect our native animals from possible mishaps that could be created by a wandering dog.  There are strict requirements about leashing, and with several good reasons:

1. IT PROTECTS SANIBEL’S SEA TURTLES! Wildlife has a place too. Don’t let your best friend become nature’s enemy. An unattended dog can dig up a sea turtle nest in the blink of an eye! With as few as one in 1,000 eggs reaching adulthood, the destruction of only a few nests can have a devastating effect on our sea turtle population.

2. IT PROTECTS SANIBEL’S SHOREBIRDS! Sanibel’s beaches serve as nesting grounds for shorebirds, including threatened least terns and snowy plovers. An unleashed dog can destroy a colony of beach nesting birds in minutes.

3. IT PROTECTS SENSITIVE BEACH DUNE VEGETATION! In addition to providing wildlife habitat, native beach dune vegetation protects the beach from erosion and aids in the protection of structures from wind and wave energy. Foot (and paw!) traffic can easily damage this unique plant community.

4. IT’S THE RESPONSIBLE THING TO DO! It is often the actions of just a few irresponsible people that cause local governments to ban dogs from a popular area. By keeping your dog on a leash and making sure to ALWAYS "scoop the poop", you can help keep Sanibel’s beaches "dog- friendly".

5. IT’S THE LAW! Section 10-62 of the Sanibel Code states that it is unlawful for the owner of any dog to permit such dog to be at large (without a leash) in or on any public right-of-way, beach, or other public property, or upon any private property without the consent of the owner of such property. A leash must be no more than eight (8) feet in length. Sanibel’s laws also require cleaning up dog waste as dog waste poses additional hazards to people, water quality and wildlife habitat.

So let's keep it simple and keep it safe.  Keep Fido on a leash, for everyone's sake!